Valentine Blues in the Foyer

Hi, everyone. Welcome to our first blog hop. That’s right. After four years of writing our blog, we finally joined up with a group of other bloggers to bring you a monthly blog hop. Now that we can count the numbers of days till Valentine’s Day on a single hand, we thought it was time to share our final holiday post with you. You can catch Jordan’s V-day decor here. When I showed you the Valentine vignette on our great room dining table a few weeks ago, I mentioned that I was going blue, rather than red, for the holiday. Well, come along to the foyer with me, and I’ll show you the blue vignette that greets our guests when they enter.

It all started with this sweet and very old vintage Valentine card which is dated 1912. If you have been around here awhile, then you know my all-time favorite country is the Netherlands. Because of that, I couldn’t resist using this little Dutch boy with the blue patch on his knickers. Paired with this silver frame, it became the perfect inspiration for the rest of our foyer arrangement.

I pulled out a pair of Dutch wooden skates that were once used on the frozen canals in the Netherlands, so this vignette is not only for Valentine’s Day but also for winter.

I have to say, though, that my favorite part of the entire arrangement is the three blue candle holders. Not because of what they are now, but because of what they once were.

I bought the three in a box at a thrift store near where Jordan lives in Syracuse. They were all black, and we first used them in this post about an afternoon tea we shared. I added an orange stripe for that post. Then I painted two of them red to use for Christmas. But since I wanted some more blue in this vignette, I pulled out my Annie Sloan aubusson blue and applied three coats of chalk paint to them.

This is the part I am loving the most, though. I added some liming wax and love the way it looks.

I have had this can of wax in my craft room for over a year and just haven’t had the right project for it. The wait was worth it, though, because it was the absolute perfect touch to add some punch to the plain blue. It works just like any wax – rub it on, let it dry, and then buff as much as you want. I did very little buffing because I wanted a dull finish. (By the way, this is not an ad. I just thought you would want to know about it.)

I’m usually a less is more gal, but I like the way everything looks together with the plates, rug, plant, dresser, lamp, and mirror. It’s only for a few days, so it will be okay.

Be sure to come back tomorrow because we are having a giveaway for Diane Keaton’s latest book. Now, hop on over to our other blog friends and see what they have come up with for Valentine’s Day.

THE INSPIRATION TRIBE BLOG HOPWelcome to The Inspiration Tribe’s February Blog Hop.

The best crafters, DIYer’s and decorators have come together to create and share décor and gift ideas for every holiday, season or events throughout the year. We hope to inspire you to create as well as share those creations with others.

This month we are featuring our inspirational ideas for Valentine’s Day.

It’s hard to believe we are half way through February, but that means it’s getting closer to Valentine’s Day. It’s time to think of bringing some love into our lives and put this cold, gloomy weather aside.

Thanks for visiting and make sure you hop on over to see what my Inspiration Tribe member Laura from The Unique Nest is sharing.